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Fresh off one journey, PE teacher begins another

Published: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 9:18 p.m.

In January 2012, Liddell Shannon and her friend, Kara Sweeney, were camping on the banks of the Mississippi River a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The two had just kayaked 1,800 miles of river — a journey that started at the mouth of the French Broad River in Rosman and ended near the Gulf of Mexico.

This past January, Shannon, 35, was hired as a physical education teacher at Mountain Community School in Hendersonville. Her days now spent at Jackson Park adjacent to the school working with kids are just the latest chapter in her history of adventures, and she uses her experiences to inspire and encourage students to dream big.

The two friends' journey took them the length of the French Broad and Tennessee rivers and down the southernmost 982 miles of the Mississippi River.

“You get to see a lot of natural beauty,” Shannon said. “You get to see all aspects of the country.”

For most of the journey, they were alone, she said. That changed on the Mississippi when they communicated with tug boats and other ships via walkie-talkies.

The idea for the trip originated while the women were working for Adventure Treks in Alaska. Shannon had the idea of kayaking the rivers, and that idea expanded to include hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans 2,650 miles from southern California to the Canadian border.

They planned to start the Pacific Crest Trail in April 2012, but finished their journey on the rivers three months ahead of schedule. They weren't ready to go back to real life yet, so on the banks of the Mississippi River, the duo decided to bike to the foot of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Shifting from kayaks to bikes, they gathered their gear and went to New Orleans in early March to start the cycling trip across the country.

This second leg of their journey took them across 2,300 miles. They crossed Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and finally wrapped up in San Diego, Calif.

Like the kayak trip, they finished their bike journey early. They had a week to ship their bikes back home and get their hiking gear shipped to California. The two friends made their way to the Mexican border to begin the third and final leg of the journey.

“It didn't start out being a triathlon of sorts, but it ended up being that way,” Shannon said.

Their trip ended in September just a few miles across the Canadian border.

“I definitely loved the hiking and the scenery on the Pacific Crest Trail,” she said, adding that it was her favorite part of the 6,700-mile journey across America. The kayaking, however, was the most original. Not a lot of people are doing that.

“There's not really a guide book for what we did,” Shannon added.

After returning home, she worked at Adventure Treks in Flat Rock until the job at Mountain Community School showed up on her radar. Shannon has a master's degree and teaching license for middle school science and was excited about the idea of teaching physical education.

She was exactly what the charter school was looking for, Principal Denise Pesce said.

“We're so excited to have Liddell,” Pesce added. “She's exactly the kind of role model we want for our kids. In Liddell's world, everything is possible.”

And that's the bridge between the journey and her work with kids, Shannon said.

“I'm not an Olympic athlete. I'm an ordinary person,” she said. “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It's just deciding to do it and going for it.”

<p>In January 2012, Liddell Shannon and her friend, Kara Sweeney, were camping on the banks of the Mississippi River a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The two had just kayaked 1,800 miles of river — a journey that started at the mouth of the French Broad River in Rosman and ended near the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p>This past January, Shannon, 35, was hired as a physical education teacher at Mountain Community School in Hendersonville. Her days now spent at Jackson Park adjacent to the school working with kids are just the latest chapter in her history of adventures, and she uses her experiences to inspire and encourage students to dream big. </p><p>The two friends' journey took them the length of the French Broad and Tennessee rivers and down the southernmost 982 miles of the Mississippi River. </p><p>“You get to see a lot of natural beauty,” Shannon said. “You get to see all aspects of the country.”</p><p>For most of the journey, they were alone, she said. That changed on the Mississippi when they communicated with tug boats and other ships via walkie-talkies. </p><p>The idea for the trip originated while the women were working for Adventure Treks in Alaska. Shannon had the idea of kayaking the rivers, and that idea expanded to include hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans 2,650 miles from southern California to the Canadian border. </p><p>They planned to start the Pacific Crest Trail in April 2012, but finished their journey on the rivers three months ahead of schedule. They weren't ready to go back to real life yet, so on the banks of the Mississippi River, the duo decided to bike to the foot of the Pacific Crest Trail. </p><p>Shifting from kayaks to bikes, they gathered their gear and went to New Orleans in early March to start the cycling trip across the country. </p><p>This second leg of their journey took them across 2,300 miles. They crossed Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and finally wrapped up in San Diego, Calif. </p><p>Like the kayak trip, they finished their bike journey early. They had a week to ship their bikes back home and get their hiking gear shipped to California. The two friends made their way to the Mexican border to begin the third and final leg of the journey. </p><p>“It didn't start out being a triathlon of sorts, but it ended up being that way,” Shannon said. </p><p>Their trip ended in September just a few miles across the Canadian border. </p><p>“I definitely loved the hiking and the scenery on the Pacific Crest Trail,” she said, adding that it was her favorite part of the 6,700-mile journey across America. The kayaking, however, was the most original. Not a lot of people are doing that. </p><p>“There's not really a guide book for what we did,” Shannon added. </p><p>After returning home, she worked at Adventure Treks in Flat Rock until the job at Mountain Community School showed up on her radar. Shannon has a master's degree and teaching license for middle school science and was excited about the idea of teaching physical education. </p><p>She was exactly what the charter school was looking for, Principal Denise Pesce said. </p><p>“We're so excited to have Liddell,” Pesce added. “She's exactly the kind of role model we want for our kids. In Liddell's world, everything is possible.”</p><p>And that's the bridge between the journey and her work with kids, Shannon said. </p><p>“I'm not an Olympic athlete. I'm an ordinary person,” she said. “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It's just deciding to do it and going for it.”</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>